What mistake results from infants confusing fruit scrubbing with self-anointing?

Infants develop itchy skin from abrasive fruit residue.

Social learning is vital for young capuchins to acquire complex survival skills by watching adults. However, this observational learning is not flawless, leading to notable errors in infancy. One documented instance involves the confusion between two distinct behaviors: the adult practice of self-anointing, which involves rubbing medicinal or repellent plant substances onto the fur, and the act of scrubbing abrasive fruit against a branch, which is done to remove irritating hairs. When infants incorrectly mimic the scrubbing behavior believing it to be self-anointing, the abrasive residue remains on their fur, resulting in them experiencing discomfort and itchiness.